For the mind disturbed, the still beauty of dawn is nature’s finest balm. – Edwin Way Teale

I heard the other day that at one point humans spent 85% of their time outside.

I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t spend enough time outside.

As winter winds down its seems like I feel the urge to get outside more and more.

As the weather warms up, I’m hoping it’s a good excuse to spend more time outdoors.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/MBfK4UoHsuo?si=mdvCb3wTgQ0tzkBR

My favorite line is the first one “the rainy day is temporary”.

No matter how dark it gets, night will turn to day.

No matter how cold it gets, winter will turn to spring.

No matter how bad it seems, it will get better.

If it’s raining right now in your life, never lose hope that things will turn around.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them. – Benjamin Franklin

That would be a great new year’s resolution – don’t pick up any bad habits.

Probably something worth thinking about for a few minutes – how to avoid picking up bad habits.

Avoid hanging out with groups that have a habit you don’t want.

Avoid going to places where bad habits you don’t want get started.

Avoid thinking thoughts that could lead to bad habits.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/1Kyvgzw43fw?si=84ZW-Ua7VdA3aaMJ

“You are insufficient. You can do something about it. If you aim low enough.”

What an interesting way to look at things.

Find the lowest, simplest objective that begins the positive process. Build momentum.

Jim Rohn talks about things like an apple a day or a walk around the block.

What’s something low you can aim at today?

Transfer $50 into savings?

Walk around the block?

Read your Bible for 5 minutes?

Go to bed 30 minutes earlier?

Find something low to aim at. Hit it. Then do it again.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time. – Voltaire

Most value in life is attained over time.

Not in one quick flurry of activity but by the consistent application of discipline over a period of time.

Short periods of focused effort are often required to set a discipline or habit into action.

But the results take time.

Make it a great day.

Jake

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23

I was listening to a podcast the other day and they talked about how if we could all act like this it would be heaven on earth.

Certainly a challenge.

I know I fall short of that list every day, but I’m working on it.

Every time I read it I think to myself about how much better my life and those who I am around would be if I could be more and more like this list.

And I want the same for everyone around me.

For their lives to be full of this fruit.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/xwTPvcPYaOo?si=_wmGjUnhd3ElPVJk

Annie’s band announced this is one of the songs for the next marching band season.

It’s a cool process to watch as the kids go through the summer and then the fall season.

They start with a lot of work over the summer and then slowly but surely they get better and better.

By the end of the season they put on quite a show (I might be biased….and primarily watching a redhead play the flute).

A lot of life is like this. First, you kind of stink at it. It’s awkward and you make mistakes. But then you get a little better and it starts to make sense. Then you’re making music.

The key is working hard and sticking with it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. – William James

It’s easy to feel like it doesn’t matter.

Like working hard, doing the right thing, discipline, etc. aren’t worth it.

That’ll it all go to waste in the end.

It just isn’t true.

What we do does make a difference.

Not always in a one for one kind of way.

Not in a way that is always repeatable.

But it does work out in the end.

Make it a great day.

Jake

One forgives to the degree that one loves. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Who can you forgive today?

Make it a great day.

Jake

We are afraid to care too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all. – Eleanor Roosevelt

No risk, no reward. A truth of life that we can’t escape.

We get to decide what kind of person we want to be – do we want to care and risk vulnerability or not care and live with distance between us and others.

Sometimes distance is wise. Sometimes vulnerability is the way to do.

We have to choose. We don’t get to sit on the fence.

Choose wisely.

Make it a great day.

Jake